A Guide to Social Media Demographics

Whether you’re an experienced digital marketer or brand new to the industry, chances are you know just how vital social media marketing is in your practice. However, social media is changing daily, and faster than ever. It seems as though there are updates and changes in popularity between demographics on an almost weekly basis.

As a digital marketer, how can you work to better understand user behavior on various social media platforms, the differences between them, and what platforms best benefit yours or your clients’ businesses?

This is where the magic of social media demographics comes in. By paying attention to the variances in who uses certain social media channels, where in the world they are located, and what content they are interested in, you can work to develop a best-in-class digital marketing strategy and obtain optimal results during a social media campaign.

What Are Social Media Demographics?

Social media demographics, in short, are the varying audiences that regularly utilize specific social media platforms. Digital marketers who have an understanding of these demographics can cultivate social media strategies that align with the needs and habits of varying demographics on each social media network.

For example, it’s not often that you’ll find a Millennial searching for the best seniors cruises in the Mediterranean on Facebook or a dad who barely uses a computer looking for helpful content marketing tips on Twitter. Social media demographics are of immense value to those looking to invest in social media advertising, as well as those who want to stretch out their marketing budget by using social media networks to their fullest potential.

Registering for these social media networks is a free service, so for those just growing their business or who want to save money, learning how to use social media networks optimally to cultivate a community without spending money is key.

Dive into the following demographics of the major social media networks to better understand the platforms that your target demographic is most likely to use on a regular basis.

Social Media Demographics of Major Social Media Networks

Thanks to Hootsuite and Hubspot we can share the following social media demographics of most of the major social media networks that are frequently used in the present digital space. We will review the major networks here.

LinkedIn

As a digital networking service provider for those who work both on and offline, LinkedIn is the perfect social media platform for leaders and working professionals to make connections while nurturing professional relationships. With the ability to post, seek jobs, and share informational content, LinkedIn is popular with people between the ages of 25 and 49. With 660 million registered members, LinkedIn is beneficial for the career success of countless users. According to HootSuite, there is an equal representation of men and women on LinkedIn.

If you’re trying to reach professionals solely based in the USA, you may have some issues, as over 70% of LinkedIn users live outside of the country, with registered users from over 200 countries. Depending on your digital marketing strategy, it may be useful to know that users on this platform are most likely to live in urban areas.

If you’re attempting to cultivate professional connections and grow your network for yourself or a client, LinkedIn is the most likely platform to yield these results.

Facebook

Facebook is often in the news for a number of issues, from the 2018 story of its use of unauthorized user data to many other issues today. But the fact remains, it is the world’s largest social media platform in terms of users, with over 2.6 billion active users logging on each month. In the United States, around 69% of adults are registered on Facebook, with more women logging on than men.

If you’re a digital marketer targeting an audience in the United States, it may be useful to note that the majority of adults who use the platform make over $75,000 every year and have a college degree or other form of further education.

Facebook is great for targeting Millennials and those in the Generation X age demographics, with the latter spending around 54 minutes per day on the platform.

As Facebook has such a wide reach, it’s a vital component of any digital marketing strategy. Whether you have an e-commerce site or are a global business, Facebook allows you to reach a global audience, while boosted Facebook posts mean that you can target extremely specific demographics and geographical areas to optimize your digital marketing reach.

Instagram

Owned by Facebook since 2012, Instagram is a photo-based platform that is home to collections of wonderfully-curated images. For digital marketers, the use of hashtags on the platform is a dream. Not only can you expand the reach of your content with the use of hashtags, you can cultivate relationships and align your brand with an entire online community that would have been harder to find pre-Instagram.

Every day, 500 million out of the 800 million registered users log on to browse friends’ photos, like pictures, and share their own content. Instagram Stories is one of the platform’s most powerful engagement tools, where users can instantly share brief snippets of their life or post photos that are shown for a limited time.

With two-thirds of the Instagram user base being under the age of 35, this platform is great for targeting content meant for Millennial audiences. It has quickly become a popular platform for brands, as brand influencers can share sponsored content, while professional visual content can be shared easily to build brand loyalty and personality.

Pinterest

Pinterest is another visual-based platform where users can “pin” content that is relevant to their interests. These digital pinboards can be public or private, allowing users to create a digital space that revolves around their unique personality, likes, and interests.

It’s another popular platform for brands and retailers, as “buyable pins” have made their mark. If you’re a digital marketer for an e-commerce brand, it’s critical that your client has an active presence on Pinterest. 80% of Pinterest users prefer to use the platform with their mobile device and it’s worth noting that Pinterest reaches 83% of all women between 25 and 54 in the US. Geographically, the 215 million Pinterest users live outside the US, which equates to 75% of all the platform’s users.

YouTube

With humble beginnings on Valentine’s Day of 2005, YouTube has become the world’s most popular video platform, the world’s leading music app, and just the world’s biggest social media platform. All of which make it key for future-forward digital marketing strategies.

Over 73% of Americans use the platform, yet with two billion viewers globally 85% of its traffic comes from outside the US . Every day, there are over five billion YouTube video views. YouTube even boasts a larger reach for those between 18 and 49 years of age than cable networks in the United States.

In terms of digital marketing, YouTube is watched by people in over 100 countries, in 80 different languages, making it a great platform for global reach.

Twitter

Twitter has been around for a while, and in its time, has grown a dedicated user base of individuals, especially in the media, entertainment, and political communities. Twitter has around 330 million monthly users, with the majority of the gender demographic identifying as male. In terms of users in the United States, 22% of adults interact with Twitter each day.

Generally speaking, Twitter is most popular with a younger demographic, with 45% of Americans who are between 18 and 24 using the platform. After 18 to 24-year-olds the second largest age demographic is of those between 25 and 29 years of age. However, 53% of Twitter users do not post updates. Rather, they scroll through their feed and interact with others through comments and post likes.

From a digital marketing standpoint, Twitter offers the use of hashtags to ensure your content reaches a wider audience, and the option to promote valuable posts for advertising purposes.

Snapchat

As the social media platform that made face filters popular, Snapchat is primarily used by those between 18 and 34 years of age, followed by people between the ages of 25 and 29.

With 218 million daily users, Snapchat is a key part of a digital marketing strategy for brands and businesses aimed at attracting a younger following and audience.

Using Social Demographics in your Digital Marketing Strategies

Whether you’re a digital marketer by trade or simply want to increase your reach as a self-employed business owner, utilizing social media demographic information can help you target your marketing strategies and make the most of your budget. This is especially true for those looking to invest in social media advertising as a part of their social selling strategy.

Digital advertising can be costly, so you want to ensure that you’re choosing a platform on which your advertising efforts will yield the highest return. However, it’s vital that you familiarize yourself with the demographics of all major social media platforms, as the way in which people communicate and find communities online is always changing.

By staying up-to-date with social media demographics, you can optimize your digital marketing strategy and use your time online effectively. Take the DMI Social Media Marketing course to get fully up to speed, and up to date. 

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